


The "Dying" Doctor

by SatanButShorter



Series: TGS hijinks [1]
Category: The Glass Scientists (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Attempt at Humor, Blackfog Bazaar, Fluff, Jekyll Is So Done, Lodgers being dumb, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Rachel Is A Little Shit, Sickfic, Unhelpful Rachel, hes not, robert you are supposed to be smarter than this, they all think jekyll is dying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 04:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29745330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatanButShorter/pseuds/SatanButShorter
Summary: Jekyll has a cold and everyone thinks he's dying.Rachel is not helping.
Relationships: Dr. Henry Jekyll/Dr. Robert Lanyon
Series: TGS hijinks [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194326
Comments: 10
Kudos: 32





	The "Dying" Doctor

It all starts with Maijabi and that blasted hearing aid that he still adamantly refuses to get fixed after Sinnett ruined it.

Jekyll honestly believed everything was back to normal by now. The exhibition came and went and the society finally had stable funding thanks to the lodgers. Lanyon finally started to bond with the lodgers and Jasper finally felt as though he could fit in.

Now that the society had sufficient funding there were more projects going on than ever, which meant that all the rooms were steadily filling up with more equipment and projects.

On top of that, Jekyll found himself loving the time he spends with the lodgers, who all volunteer to spend time with him.

Which brings him back to Maijabi. Maijabi and that godforsaken hearing aid.

He was out in Mr Bird's garden, roaming around and picking herbs and plants that would be helpful with Ito's chemistry experiment, and it's all going well and good until he reaches a long table on one side of the room where Jekyll had a bunch of flowers lying out on the table directly in the sunlight, when he sees Dr Maijabi walking over to him.

"What are you doing over here?" Maijabi asks as he reaches forward to touch the flowers, "they are very pretty."

"Yes," Jekyll agrees as he steps up beside him to admire the various colours, "I'm drying them out-"

He's cut off by Maijabi's stunned gasp, and he glances over with wide eyes to see the older man looking back in horror,

"What?" he chokes out, and Jekyll frowns as he takes a slow step back.

"I'm... I'm drying-"

"Heavens above!" Maijabi suddenly wails as he lunges forward and hugs Jekyll tightly to his chest "But you're so young!" and Jekyll is awfully confused as Maijabi suddenly pulls away and rushes from the room, leaving him with his drying flowers and a list of questions.

...

It's been a few days since then, and Jekyll is quite terrified of what has suddenly become of the lodgers. He bumbed into Sinnett in one of the hallways, outside of the lobby, who'd promptly started wailing much like Maijabi and clutching Jekyll to his chest whilst reciting just how wonderful of a leader he is.

Miss Lavender and Mrs Cantilupe would appear at random intervals and offer him hugs and food, stunning Jekyll when Lavender would often burst into tears for no apparent reason. Even Griffin had accosted him at one stage to inform him of just how much of a great role model he is, and how all of them were just so damn proud to have him as their leader and Jekyll had promptly legged it out of sight.

Robert had been the worst though, and Jekyll is suddenly surprised at the other doctor's constant requests for his presence, and when he does appear it's just for Robert to give him a nod and get back to work. Sometimes he'll press a gift of some sort into his hands, and sometimes he'll just gesture for Jekyll to sit with him. Jekyll doesn't mind but it still unnerves him how clinging Robert is becoming, let alone the rest of the lodgers.

He only goes to help the lodgers with one project, and only one. Mosley is the one doing the experiment with him, with half the lodgers joining in, but Jekyll ends up storming out as each of them treats him like glass to be broken. No longer is he told to grab the chemicals needed, or to walk halfway across the society to grab a specific wrench. All of them just rush to do it all for him and give him sympathetic smiles... they just don't let him do anything at all!

Fed up with their peculiar behaviours, he takes his potion and slips away through a back door of the building to go for a walk. A little bit of relaxation away from crazed lodgers will do him the world of good, he thinks, and he hasn't had the time to admire the night sky from the roofs of London since the exhibition ended. Something he very much misses from before.

Of course it just so happens to also be the night the heavens open and pour down drenching Hyde in moments and freezing him to the bone with a chill he can't shake off, no matter how many blankets he piles on top of himself once he stumbles back into his office and takes the potion.

"It's just a cold" Rachel says the following morning when Jekyll wakes up feeling completely under the weather, " a few days rest will do you good."

Jekyll tries to explain that he doesn't want to just rest, but as he opens his mouth he finds that his words only come out in a wheeze. Odd, compared to his louder voice when he'd woken up and requested Rachel's presence.

Instantly Rachel is laughing and patting Jekyll's head as she stands to go inform the others of Jekyll's condition. "A side effect of the cold," she explains gently, "your sore throat from coughing has made you lose your voice. Don't worry, it'll be back once you feel better." 

...

Don't worry, Jekyll snorts to himself sarcastically, he'd had every intention on not worrying.

Until a few distraught lodgers came bursting into the room, bawling their eyes out like small children, screeching for Jekyll to just "not yet, Jekyll, please don't die!" 

Jekyll tries to explain it's just a cold many times, but he can't say a word and Rachel haas mysteriously disappeared, so Jekyll is just left attempting to comfort the lodgers with hugs, Hyde laughing in the mirror the whole time.

Don't worry his ass

...

It gets explained later when Robert turns up. He knock politely on the door before he enters, and Jekyll looks up only to wince at what he sees.

Robert looks a mess, completely different from how he normally looks, and Jekyll's eyes linger on the tangled hair and bags under his eyes, the drawn look of his face and just how tired he looks. Not even Hyde can bring himself to mock him.

"Hello, Henry" Robert quietly says, and Jekyll watches as he hovers awkwardly at the end of the bed. He can't say anything in reply, but he does gesture at the chairs beside his bed and Robert takes a seat.

They fall into a silence, well Robert does, Jekyll has no choice, and it's not until Jekyll reaches out to touch the back of Robert's hand does the other doctor finally speak up.

"We have all been informed by Dr Maijabi of... of your condition," he mumbles, and Jekyll frowns at that. It's just a cold. "And... well, I'm sorry"

Sorry? Jekyll wants to question what on earth is to be sorry about, but when Robert looks up from Jekyll's hand resting on his all possible words he could've spoken leave him, for there are tears in Robert's eyes as he gives Henry a weak smile.

"We should've looked after you better." he chokes out. "I had every intention to stay by your side for the rest of our lives, but i never thought that... that would be so soon.

Wait... what?

"After Dr Maijabi informed us of what you had told him in the gardens, that you are dying, we all thought to just spend time with you subtly, make sure you were protected and safe. We believed you would tell us all in your own good time and it makes sense for you to tell Maijabi first. After all, he is a spirit medium. And then you disappeared for a night and now you're bedridden, as Rachel tells us, and..." he pauses, a breath coming out strangled and ragged, "The thought of you missing from our lives-"

Jekyll cuts him off by pulling Robert closer. Instantly, the other doctor is hugging him, arms tight around his waist as he heaves great breaths into Jekyll's neck, and Jekyll can't tell if he's more surprised that Robert is clinging to him, or the fact that Maijabi is telling everyone that he´s dying.

...

Rachel is back the following day, holding a bag of medicine as a weak offering in an attempt to avoid Jekyll's wrath. Thankfully, she's also brought a stack of paper with a pen to write with, something the lodgers had not though about when they found out that Jekyll could not speak, and instantly Jekyll is scribbling on it furiously.

'Why do they all think I'm dying, Rachel!' he writes, slamming the fountain pen down particularly hard on the dot for the exclamation mark, before he shoves it at Rachel with a glare.

"Ah," Rachel hums as she reads the question a couple of times before smiling at Jekyll, "yes, well, Maijabi is under the impression that when you were showing him your garden the other evening you informed him of your... health condition."

'I'm not dying!'

"Well I know that," Rachel snorts, "but they don't. The whole society is in upheaval though. They don't want you to pass."

'I have a cold.'

"But they don't know that, in fact I firmly believe they think you have some terminal illness of some kind, I'm not quite sure what though," the maid sighs and rummages through her bag before handing Jekyll a few pills and some water to take them, "and no matter what I tell them, they don't believe me when I tell them you are fine."

Idiots, Jekyll hears Hyde cackling, all of them. The whole lot. The lodgers are honestly ridiculous. He stares at the paper for a long time, wondering what to say, before Rachel speaks up.

"I think you need to be the one to tell them," she informs Jekyll, and Jekyll knew she would say that, "as they most certainly won't listen to anyone else. Although it may be hard to do considering your lack of voice, but if you write it down then I am sure they'll listen, or read it and agree."

'Can you not convince them?'

"I could try," Rachel admits before suddenly she's grinning, "but I don't think I improved the situation when I told the you were sick. Lavender and Cantilupe started wailing after I mentioned it, and Griffin said something about how it's true, or some rubbish. I never had a chance to explain-"

Jekyll throws the fountain pen on the table, cutting her off, and glares at her until she leaves the room with a sheepish grin, before he throws the blankets over his head and tries to pretend no one exists.

...

He's coughing up lumpy green mucus when Helsby comes in, and instantly the man is yelping and rushing to his side.

"Jekyll!" he cries as he stumbles to a halt at Jekyll's side before he just stands there uselessly, hands raised and mouth open and Jekyll promptly throws his handkerchief at him.

Helsby just catches it and throws it to the side before he hands another to Jekyll, watching as he wipes his mouth and settles back against the pillows. 

He wants to talk to Helsby, he hasn't in a long time since Helsby has always been so busy with his projects, and Jekyll misses the conversations they used to have. But thanks to his damn missing voice he can't do anything more than make a little whine as he reaches for the glass of water on the bedside table.

Helsby hands it to him after a moment, and offers Jekyll a smile as he settles in one of the chairs in the room. 

"How are you feeling?" is the first thing he asks, and Jekyll just gives him a weak smile. The cold has taken it's toll on him, making him tired and droopy, and even Rachel has mentioned that it seems to be more of a flu than cold, and that it will only get worse before it gets better.

Of course, he hasn't told the lodgers this and they're still under the assumption he's dying.

Helsby just nods his head slowly before he settles into his chair a little better. "I have decided to take the afternoon off," he says with a smile, "in request I may spend it with you. I'm afraid we have been rather distant since the exhibition."

That we have, Jekyll thinks, and he wants to write it down but the pad of parchment is too far away from him and he feels much too tired to reach out for it. Helsby must understand his thoughts though, as he reaches out to tug the covers up Jekyll's body and tuck him in.

"I thought you may like to hear of my most recent project?" he continues, and pauses when Jekyll sinks into the bed and catches his hand. He squeezes Jekyll's hand gently with a small sad smile on his face, "it may help you sleep?"

Jekyll just nods his head, his eyes drooping a bit, and Helsby's voice begins to fill the room as he starts telling him of his bathynaut project, a slow gentle hum that Jekyll missed.

...

He wakes to Jasper and Sinnett sitting either side of him, both holding his hands, they had bonded over the exhibition after Jasper's mud phoenix, Christopher, caught Sinnett's attention. Jekyll doesn't move as the two of them whisper quietly to each other, and he makes sure to keep his breathing shallow.

"I don't want him to go," Jasper is mumbling, and his voice sounds wet to Jekyll's ears. There's no doubt that there are tears in his voice that Jekyll hears, and he feels his heart clench at the thought that it's him who's making Jasper cry.

"We can't stop it, Jasper." Sinnett sighs, his grip on Jekyll's hand tightening, "It's the way of the world, I suppose."

"It doesn't mean we have to accept it. Imagine what this will do to the society? To Dr Lanyon?"

Sinnett stiffens beside Jekyll, and Jekyll has half a mind to open his eyes and see if he's okay, before Sinnett mumbles, "He's lived through worse."

"No," Jasper argues, "no, I don't think he cares for anyone more than he cares for Jekyll. It will destroy him, it's already beginning to," and Jasper sounds like he's crying again, "and I don't want to see that happen. Not only will this destroy Lanyon, but the society too."

Jekyll lays silent, and he hears them both get up, his mind racing as the mumbling of the two slowly fades away until silence is in the room as they leave and he is left to his thoughts.

He needs to tell them, he thinks, he needs to tell them now.

...

It takes a while, but eventually Archer manages to round up the lodgers at Jekyll's request. They all hustle into the room, some looking guilty and others worried, but Jekyll pays them no mind until all of them are crowded around his bed.

Instantly he holds out his parchment to the nearest lodger, Bird, who takes it with a frown. "You would like me to read this out?" he asks, and Jekyll nods furiously.

He looks confused for a bit longer, and Jekyll waits, impatiently tapping his fingers against his knees, until Bird finally clears his throat.

"Ah, it says, 'I do not know what Maijabi has informed you of, but I wish you all to know that I am, in fact, not dying. I am fine, maybe a little sick as you can see from my lack of voice and runny nose, but I will be fine in a few days'," and Bird finishes with a little hitch of his voice on the end before he's looking at Jekyll with glittering eyes.

It's not him that cries though, it's Bryson, big strong 'brave explorer of the cosmos' Bryson who suddenly starts sobbing hysterically.

"He's… he's such a brave person," he howls, and everyone slowly backs away from him, except for Helsby who hugs him tightly, "and just I'm so proud of him."

Jekyll is officially stunned as he sits there staring at the aeronaut with a bewildered look on his face. The other lodgers are murmuring amongst themselves as they gesture at Jekyll, and Jekyll hears "denying the inevitable", "he's grieving, leave him alone", and honestly, at this point he is so done.

"Jekyll," Mosley suddenly says and Jekyll thinks the look on his face is more of a grimace than a smile, "you don't have to be brave for us. We already know how brave you are-"

"-and it's okay to be scared," Luckett finishes as he leans forward to grasp Jekyll's hand, "we are here for you."

Robert doesn't say anything but offers Jekyll a watery smile as he reaches for Jekyll's other hand.

Jekyll sighs. Hyde laughs.

...

Tweedy joins him next, and he's carrying presents as he plonks down at Jekyll's bedside.

"So sorry about not coming earlier," he says with a frown, "I had intentions on it, but, the life of an engineer can be quite busy. Not that you're not important! Of course not! You're very important, Jekyll. I just... I mean…"

Jekyll gives a silent laugh as he reaches over to squeeze Tweedy's forearm with a smile. Instantly Tweedy deflates as he smiles back before his attention returns to the presents he holds.

"Aye, well, this one's from Lanyon," he suddenly blurts, giving Jekyll a lopsided grin as he thrusts one of the packages into Jekyll's hands, "he asked me to drop it off to you on my way past. Now he can't get time off to come see you, no matter how hard he tries. A co-leader can never not be a co-leader."

Jekyll agrees with the statement by nodding his head as he rolls the package between his hands. He has half a mind to open it but decides to do so later when he has Robert's own company, and instead turns back to Tweedy with a raised eyebrow.

"Right, yes, well, this one is from Doddle," and he hands over a small box filled with cookies that Jekyll thinks look divine, "since he couldn't come today. Lanyon is having visitors, some clients I think, so Doddle is cooking up a storm in the kitchen. He made these on the side for you though, thought you'd appreciate them." Tweedy pauses before he gives Jekyll a small smile, a genuine one, "he really does appreciate you, Jekyll, Doddle does. Not many people will love cooking as much as him. Most people don't think it's a legitimate science thing to do, so your interest in it has… well, I should really let him tell you all this. Before you… well, go."

They drop into a silence that's quite weighing, and Jekyll sighs to himself. He'd tried to convince the others that he wasn't dying, but the sudden worsening of his cold had left them all convinced that he was just trying to be strong for them, and/or in denial. Of course, Rachel had helped none, just agreed that Jekyll did look like death warmed up before handing him more pills she'd acquired on a trip to Blackfog Bazaar and immediately departing on another trip, much to Hyde's amusement and Jekyll's chagrin.

Honestly, Jekyll was so done with Rachel.

"How did this happen?" Tweedy is quietly asking, and Jekyll looks at his forlorn face, "everything was going so well. And… and now you're dying, Jekyll. You can't speak, you cough more times than I can count, you're constantly running a temperature, you sleep more than Sinnett who is the king of nana-naps. What happened?"

I went outside, Jekyll is suddenly scribbling down on the pad he's pulled off the bedside table, and I got caught in a downpour and I'm not dying.

Tweedy doesn't read it though, just looks at the last present in his lap with a look that makes Jekyll's heart ache.

"You've changed all of our lives, Jekyll," he mumbles, "you took us in when we had nowhere to go and funded our interests, even when we didn't appreciate it as much as we should've. None of us could've been where we are now without you and... and you're a great friend, Jekyll" and Tweedy looks up with tears in his eyes, "I would never be who i am today without you."

Jekyll tries to say something, but nothing comes out except a small wheeze of air and Tweedy just smiles at him. He reaches forward with his little gift, and Jekyll accepts it slowly.

It's a photograph of him and the lodgers taken at the exhibition, and Jekyll loves it. He runs his fingers along the frame, and Tweedy watches with a small smile.

"I will miss you, Jekyll."

...

It's well and truly late at night when the door creaks open and Jekyll sees Robert slip inside. He doesn't move though as he watches Robert close the door and slink over to sit by Jekyll, just leaves his eyes open and follows his movements. It takes Robert a while, but it's not until he settles the candle on the table that he notices Jekyll's open eyes.

"You're awake," he states, and Jekyll smiles as Robert automatically hands him the pad of parchment, and he shuffles up the bed to lean against the pillows so as to write.

Couldn't sleep. Shouldn't you be in bed?

Robert smiles at the words before he looks up at Jekyll. "I should," he says, "but there are a lot of things on my mind."

Care to elaborate?

"I wouldn't want to disturb you," and Jekyll snorts because Robert definitely means he doesn't want to disturb a 'dying man'.

Is it about the clients Tweedy mentioned? 

Robert looks at him with a calculating look before he sighs and glances down at his hand. "He demands to meet with you," he explains," He believes it is his right to see you on your... to see you like this, as you are the leader, and by all purposes shouldn't I be accomodating his every wish? He holds no respect for you." Robert huffs as he clenches his fists, "the lodgers did not settle well with his demands. I have never seen them all so enraged, not even with Moreau, and all on your behalf. I will be spending all of tomorrow ensuring that they will not cut our funding, especially after the words Miss Flowers had to say about his mother.

Jekyll sits in stunned silence for a moment, wondering just what on earth had possessed the lodgers to be so protective of him, but after seeing Robert's crumpled expression he puts the thoughts to the side.

Instead of replying he reaches up to put the pad back on the table, nudging a few of the screwed up pieces of parchment that'd been written on to the ground, before he grasps Robert's hand and pulls him towards the bed.

Robert tugs back though, a frown marring his features as he asks, "what are you doing?"

Jekyll doesn't answer him, can't really seen as his voice is only just coming back and now just sounds like rapid exhales of air, but just pulls extra hard until Robert topples onto the bed.

He then proceeds to not give Robert a choice as he drapes the other doctor's arm over his waist and snuggles back into the warmth of his chest. Robert stays quiet and unresponsive for a long minute before he sighs and curls into Jekyll, drawing an extra blanket from the end of the bed up and over them.

"Goodnight, Henry," he mumbles into Jekyll's neck, and Jekyll makes a humming noise in return. 

...

Pennebrygg, Flowers and Griffin all burst in the next day, all three looking alarmed as they stare at Jekyll before relief adorns their faces and they all shuffle over, Pennebrygg and Griffin taking the seats while Flowers perches on the edge of his bed.

"Thank god" Flowers is the first one to speak, "Maijabi was telling us you were well dead!"

"I said well fed" Jekyll croaks out, his voice just barely above a whisper but there nonetheless, "honestly, he need to replace those hearing aids."

Flowers and Griffin let out loud trills of laughter, right before a solemn mood takes over the room and Jekyll is faced with all three staring at him with pained looks.

"We're sorry we haven't come earlier," Pennebrygg finally says, "we just… we couldn't face the thought that you're leaving us."

"I'm not leaving you, Pennebrygg," Jekyll denies but Flowers smiles as she reaches forward to pat Jekyll's hand.

"Of course you're not," she sympathises, "you will always be with us, Jekyll. And we count our lucky stars that we ever met you."

Yeah, Jekyll's just sick of this now. He'd sent many a letter in Rachel's direction generally bitching about just how stupid the lodgers were being. Not one of them believed him when he said he was just staving off a cold, and now it'd come down to them just humouring him whenever he said he wasn't bloody dying.

He chooses to just stay silent, something that he doesn't mind doing as talking still makes his throat rasp and hurt, but it seems to be the action the trio need before they begin their heartfelt speeches.

"I… I got you this," Flowers suddenly pipes up, and Jekyll watches as she pulls out a soft blue blanket, "it took a while to find but it's really good condition and…" she trails off as she just offers it to Jekyll and tucks it around his legs before leaning forward to kiss Jekyll's cheek, "and thank you. Thank you, Jekyll."

Even though he's not actually dying, Jekyll knows exactly what Flowers means, and he just gives a silent smile back and squeezes her hand. Griffin interrupts next though, beginning to babble on about how Bilbo is the ideal role model that all young scientists should look up to and Jekyll would think he was joking if he didn't see Griffin's eyes glistening with unshed tears and the utter pride on his face, and he smiles gently at the him every time he glances at him.

Pennebrygg ushers them out quickly after that, but he pauses by the door to glance back at Jekyll with hard eyes.

"Thank you," he rasps out, and Jekyll inclines his head graciously as the automatonatomist suddenly tosses a little parcel of something at him before disappearing out the door.

It makes Jekyll laugh to see it's a book, a very rare book he has no doubts that Pennbrygg got from Blackfog.

...

Doddle ventures into his room, offering Jekyll a smile as he passes him some delicious brownies and a new load of medicine from Rachel.

"I haven't got much time," Doddle explains as he picks one up and joins Jekyll in stuffing his face, "but I just wanted to see how you are faring?"

"I'm fine," Jekyll replies, and he's finally able to speak at audible levels, even though he feels like just curling under his blankets and not facing the world, "maybe a tad too hot and I have a awful headache, but those will go away."

Doddle looks uncertain, but he nods along like all the other lodgers before him. He stays for a while longer, talking about anything and everything, and Jekyll feels sufficiently tired when Doddle stands to leave. He pauses once by Jekyll's side, tugs up Flowers' blanket and strokes Jekyll's hair.

"Goodbye, Jekyll," is all he says, and this isn't the first time Jekyll's been given a farewell. The door slides shut behind Doddle as he leaves, the gentle click a sign for Jekyll to squeeze his eyes shut and try not to cry, earning him a taunt from Hyde.

Blast these lodgers.

...

A letter from Rachel turns up, making Jekyll frown, stating that while she'd administered the right cure to Jekyll and she had been given medicine that cured his cold… well the new batch Doddle had delivered might be a bit infected. With the flu virus. Considering Rachel had, in fact, bought it from a dodgy man at Blackfog who'd quite possibly sneezed on the roots?

Basically, Rachel has made Jekyll's cold go away, but only to replace it with the bloody flu from some other person!

As much as he loved Rachel, even Hyde was getting annoyed at having to sit around in Jekyll's subconscious due to their headache.

Underneath her words was a list of symptoms Jekyll might experience, and his rising temperature suddenly makes sense when he sees fever listed at the top.

He humours the thought, only for a moment, of what it would be like if he was actually dying. He thinks he'd be happy with how the lodgers are treating him, sweetly and nicely if not slightly overbearing, but Jekyll understands that they're all under the assumption they'll never see him again.

...

His temperature finally peaks, causing the fever to begin to rack his body. It makes him quite delirious, and Jekyll finds himself passing in and out of consciousness and lucidity for the whole day. Every time he came to he'd see one of the lodgers sitting beside of him, all of them determined to be the ones by his side.

Mosley was there a lot, telling him about his experiments and waiting for him to drop to sleep. Jasper and Sinnett would alternate between who sat beside him, desperate to keep him company no matter what. Tweedy popped in and out, and Jekyll remembers one time watching him and Flowers both leave in tears at the sight of Jekyll wrapped in Flowers' blanket and clutching Tweedy's photograph to his chest. Helsby and Bryson would come in and talk with him about anything and everything.

Luckett visits him, breaks the chair he sits on and Jekyll laughs through his headache.

...

Ito hovers over him on the second day, when Jekyll's fever is still settled in but he's conscious for the majority of the day. The two sit in stone silence for a long time before Ito suddenly sniffs.

And Jekyll is horrified to see the tears starting up again, the tears that he'd much had enough of back when Ito thought he was just trying to be strong, and instantly he reaches out to drawn the other chemist into a tight embrace.

"Don't go, Dr Jekyll," Ito sobs into his ear, "you cannot go. Not when everything has just been made right."

"You can call me Henry, Ito," is all Jekyll can think to say, and obviously it's the wrong thing as Ito starts howling and it takes Lavender and Cantilupe to pull her off Jekyll.

It takes the rest of the day, but the fever breaks and Jekyll wakes with aches everywhere around his body, a headache that threatens to split his head in two (haha), and a bunch of distraught lodgers staring down at him.

...

Robert slips into his room a while later, once the others have disappeared and Jekyll can hear again. He's still weak, desperately weak, and he feels like a child as he clings to the photograph from Tweedy.

"I look terrible in that photo," Robert comments dryly as he walks over, and Jekyll lets out a very tired giggle.

He settles in the chair in silence, his eyes glancing over the collection of objects and gifts on Jekyll's table, including Tweedy's photograph, Doddle's latest batch of cooking, Sinnett's lighter, the small growing pile of books that Pennebrygg continues to provide, the present from Robert that Jekyll has yet to open, and the bottle of formaldehyde from Ito.

Jekyll didn't quite understand the last one, but he didn't argue lest Ito start crying again.

"Quite a collection," Robert points out, and Jekyll's weak nod makes Robert's expression soften. "I'm sorry," he continues to say, his hand resting on Jekyll's arm, "for not being there enough. Especially now when you were going through the worse." he pauses and looks so tortured as he stares at Jekyll.

"Robert," Jekyll whispers, his voice so hoarse and barely existent now from his sore throat, coughing fits and the screams he'd let out during one of his delirious episodes, "Robert, I'm not dying,"

He has to try, just once more, but the way the light dulls in Robert's eyes makes him realise that Robert just doesn't believe him.

"You're so brave," he says gently, "and I…" he lingers over the words for so long that Jekyll feels his eyes slowly drifting shut before a hand strokes his cheek softly. "You never opened my gift," Robert mumbles, and Jekyll leans into the hand as he smiles gently.

"I kept forgetting to ask you to open it with me," and he accepts the gift as it's handed to him before he slowly tears the paper to reveal a beautifully crafted box. 

"Open it." Robert encourages, and when Jekyll does he gasps to see two beautifully made cufflinks made in gold with red stones ingrained in them.

"Robert.." he mumbles but he can't actually find words.

"I thought the gold and red would work better with your colourings," Robert explains quietly as he reaches out and scoops them up in his hand, "Would you like to try them on?" he asks, and Jekyll can't exactly say no as he nods his head, still completely stunned, until Robert grabs his hand and fumbles to clasp the cufflinks on.

They sat in silence a little longer as Jekyll admired the cufflinks.

It´s not until Jekyll spots Robert's reflection in one of the many mirrors in the room that he sees Robert's eyes are blurry, and as soon as he realises he turns around to cup Robert's cheeks.

"Robert," he whispers as Robert leans into Jekyll touch, "Robert, please, I'm not dying. Don't cry."

Robert just lets out a watery laugh as he draws Jekyll close to his chest.

...

Rachel returns on the day that Jekyll finally feels better. She enters the room with her apron on and Jekyll gives her an unimpressed look.

"Good," the maid says, "you're finally up. It's about time. You need to knock some sense into these lodgers. Half the society is causing a commotion over their beloved leader's supposed death. while the other half is already in mourning."

"Idiots" Jekyll groans, and while his throat is still tender, he finds that he can now speak without sounding completely weak, and even though he still gets the occasional chills he finds that Flowers' blanket sends them away and returns a lovely healthy pink colour to his cheeks.

Rachel just laughs at his frustration before offering her arm for Jekyll to take, guiding Jekyll to the door as he stumbles about. Having been bedridden for a couple of weeks has taken its toll and it takes a moment for him to adjust.

The sight of gobsmacked lodgers seeing the society's leader walking the halls is enough to have Jekyll smiling, and when he enters the lobby and bellows "Robert!" at the top of his lungs it very quickly morphs into a massive grin.

"H-Henry?" Robert stutters out from where he stands, his eyes wide and Jekyll goes to reply only for twin screams from Sinnett and Ito shakes the room and Jekyll finds himself being swept up in their arms, followed by an excited Jasper and Doddle crashing into them.

"I told you I wasn't dying!" Jekyll scolds as soon as the rest of the lodgers crowd around him, looking over him in awe.

"But... but you were bedridden." Jasper points out

"And you could hardly speak," Pennebrygg adds.

"Have none of you ever had the flu before?" Jekyll snaps, and all of them look a little ashamed as they drop their gazes, "I was merely given some odd medicine by Rachel so my cold changed into a rather awful case of the flu. I am fine now, and most certainly feeling one hundred percent."

"But Maijabi-"

"Maijabi needs to get new hearing aids!" Jekyll snaps and glares at the lodger in question who blushes and pulls the mangled hearing aid down from his ear, "I said I was drying plants, not bloody dying"

Almost instantly the society turns to chaos, half of the lodgers screaming about Maijabi making them all worry and the other half defending Maijabi by stating that it was an easy mistake to make. Either way, Jekyll doesn't care as he watches them bicker in satisfaction and catches they eye of the still stunned co-leader by the stairs.

...

"You weren't dying," is how Robert announces his presence in the laboratory, his voice close behind Jekyll and he wonders how the man was quiet enough to walk the distance of the room without Jekyll hearing him once. 

"I told you," Jekyll replies as he moves the last of the chemical equipment to the side before turning to smile at Robert.

Robert just stares at him though, and Jekyll is reminded of how broken Robert looked when he thought Jekyll was dying, and he slowly takes a step to cup Robert's cheeks.

"I have no intentions on dying any time soon." Jekyll says gently, "because if I recall, you said you'd stay by my side for the rest of our lives."

He doesn't give Robert a chance to reply as he leans forward to kiss him, crashing their lips together as Robert flounders for a moment, making Jekyll grin against his lips, before he seems to steady himself and gently pushes Jekyll back.

"What... Henry?" he squeaks, and Jekyll finds him so endearing it almost hurts.

"I've been told I make you happy," Jekyll informs him, "and, well, you make me happy too. Even though you're a fool who doesn't know how to listen, nor how to recognise a flu."

Robert stares at him, completely speechless, for a long long moment, until suddenly he's grinning and surging forward and drawing Jekyll into the sweetest of kisses.

Yeah, Jekyll thinks, he has no intention of dying for a very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> I didn't mean to make Hyde chill in the background the whole time but whatever
> 
> (I was editing this and there was friggin earthquake what is hAPPENING? )


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